“Near Zaporizhzhia, fortifications are being carefully built in case of an attack by Russian troops, but some Ukrainian commanders believe that the Russian Federation is not yet ready for a large-scale attack in this direction. Source: The Economist Verbatim: “Ukrainian intelligence believes that Russia is preparing for a bold assault on the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is 30 km from the front.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: The Economist
Literally: “Ukrainian intelligence believes that Russia is preparing for a bold assault on the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is 30 km from the front. No one knows exactly when, but it makes some sense. As one of the three remaining centers of heavy industry in the country, the regional center remains critically important for the survival of Ukraine as a functioning state”.
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Details: The material says that new fortifications are being built in rings diverging from the regional center.
“The work is carried out carefully – minefields, engineering barriers, structures made of concrete and iron – in contrast to the more chaotic picture in the neighboring Donetsk region, where the fiercest battles are still going on,” the publication writes.
At the same time, it is noted that not all Ukrainian military personnel consider an attack on Zaporozhye inevitable.
Colonel Oleksiy Khilchenko, commander of the 3rd operational brigade of the NSU “Spartan”, recently deployed in Zaporizhzhia, notes that Russia is busy elsewhere. According to him, the Russians planned to send two divisions (20-30 thousand troops) for the initial assault, but half of them were transferred to the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.
“Lemberg”, the battalion commander of the 118th brigade, which holds the defense in the south-west of the Zaporizhzhia region, agrees with this opinion.
“They (the Russians – ed.) are not yet ready to attack, but when they are ready, the first blow will be the hardest,” he believes.
The Economist also writes that Ukraine’s problems at the front are deepening, mainly due to personnel issues. It is noted that the army has long been short of people willing to serve, and the mobilization campaign failed, gathering only two-thirds of the planned volume.
“A high-ranking Ukrainian official says that he is concerned that the situation may become irreversible by spring,” the article says.
The publication writes that the quality of recruits is an even bigger problem. In particular, a large number of them are over 45 years old and have health problems.